(no subject)

[callmenoah]

Central City wouldn't have been Noah's first guess, when it came to places Claire might settle down. He would have thought New York or California, to be closer to family. She'd been running for long enough, he thought she might choose a place where it'd be easier for her to plant some roots. But no, she was adamant about going somewhere she could start fresh. 

He held back his 'I told you so' when she told him about the bar fight, purely because when she described the attack, it wasn't something either of them could have foreseen, not even him with all his years in the field. Meta-humans were completely unfamiliar to him, and from what he'd been told, had the potential to be more even powerful than evolved humans. There wasn't much that scared him, but this certainly was unnerving, especially if Claire had found herself in their crosshairs so quickly. 

She was shifty about the reasons why, which indicated that it was something important to her. He didn't press for too much in the way of details, instead letting her feed him the information however she was most comfortable doing so. It had taken years to adjust his communication style in this way, but considering how much his daughters trust in him had grown, it was worth the effort. 

They'd been in regular communication, and she had seemed to be in especially high spirits after her date. Considering how private she had been about her love life since Gretchen, when Barry's name kept coming up, Noah paid attention. As far as he could tell, she was over the moon for this guy. Sure enough, after the date, she talked about wanting to introduce them. It was entirely unlike her, or at least what he'd observed from her in the years after she had left Arlington and entered her nomadic lifestyle. This was serious. 

Noah had been content to wait a few more days for his trip to see her, but when she suddenly dropped off without warning - at least before her date she had reminded him she'd be busy for the evening - he assumed the worst. Fortunately Peter was ready with a quick 'port to Central City, though he was unable to stick around while Noah started his search. He'd promised to pop back after his shift and help if she wasn't found. Fortunately that wouldn't be necessary. Claire had expressed concerns about Peter's empathic powers in the presence of Metas, and neither had the chance to explain it to Peter. Even going off what little he knew, Noah shared those concerns, as well as concerns about Sylar being able to acquire Meta-human powers. 

Just piling on to the list of reasons he was here. First and foremost, though, he had to see Claire. He parked in the garage, then made his way inside and up to her door. With a breath to calm himself, he knocked. 

A moment later, Claire's smiling face appeared as the door swung open. "Hi, Daddy!" She sounded just like she had on the phone - like she knew she was in trouble. But there was no stopping a grin from taking over her face.

"Hello, Clairebear," came his response, half a grumble, because he couldn't stay mad. Not when she looked so happy. She rushed into his arms and he caught her easily for a big hug, head tucked down to press a kiss into her hair. "Please don't ever scare me like that again." 

"Sorry, Dad..." Claire looked up at him sheepishly. "We can explain, I promise!" She stepped back, and he followed her inside. Two pairs of shoes on the rug. It made sense; her text had said we're home. Had he moved in already, or was she just being concise? Her voice broke through his thoughts. "Dad... this is Barry. Barry, my dad." 

He'd never seen her look at anyone like that before. Not Gretchen, not... that stupid boy who could fly, whatever his name was. Definitely not that scumbag quarterback. This was different. Noah stepped forward, offering a hand. "I've heard so much about you, I almost feel like I know you." He tried to make it sound light-hearted and friendly, not threatening. "It's nice to meet you, Barry. Call me Noah."

Comments

[infinite1ups]

"It's apparently a trauma thing. I don't know how to turn it off." Claire had tried therapy, but trying to find a therapist who specialized in issues like hers? It didn't go well. She didn't get the hallucinations as much anymore, though she did occasionally still have panic attacks and nightmares.

It meant the world that Barry wanted to make sure she felt safe, though. That by itself helped more than she could say.

"Nah, I'm not too particular. Maybe more of a medium to larger size breed than Muggles? Or... whatever lovable mutt picks me when I go to the shelter again. I like to volunteer there, but I wanted to wait until I felt more settled to adopt." Translation: until she felt less like she was going to change her mind and start running again. She wasn't having to fight those feelings as much anymore. "I don't think I can get much more settled than this," she added, laughing softly.

[feelthelightning]

He winced. Awkward as always, Barry. "I'm not making light of your trauma." He said softly, though she probably knew that already. "Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?" Lord knew they both had trauma of different flavours.

That she didn't have a breed in mind made it easier. It meant they could just organically find let one fall into their laps. He liked the idea of getting a rescue. And it just now occurred to him that he was thinking of adopting a dog with her. His cheeks flushed and he ducked his head to hide his face. She was talking about being settled and he was just being a disaster.

He'd had his own place for a while, until Iris moved out of Joe's. Then Joe started moping about and Barry eagerly moved back in to keep him company. But now that Wally was there, it was cramped again, so he was bunking with Cisco and helping him pay rent. Adopting a dog with his girlfriend wasn't a wise decision just yet. Right?

"At least now that you know my secret, I don't have to worry about your puppy recognising my scent as The Flash any more."

[infinite1ups]

And it was Claire's turn to wince. "Sorry... I didn't mean to sound snappy. You're already doing so much," she assured him, kissing his cheek. In truth, she really couldn't name anything else he could possibly do that he wasn't already. She shifted, stretching her legs out across Barry's lap instead of having them curled up under her. Much better. "I don't get much more comfortable than this."

The way he ducked his head didn't escape her notice, though. She wondered what that might be about. Was it the puppy talk? Or maybe the talk of her being settled and how much these next few days of off time were really going to seem like he'd all but moved in with her. The conversation from that morning with Harry suddenly popped into her head, how he thought her asking about Meta and evolved human compatibility was to have kids.

Barry was already blushing, so she decided not to mention that right now. Even if it had been really funny. It felt like one of those things that would be even funnier down the line, though.

"That's true. Ideally my dog will like you as much as they like me; they'd probably blow your cover pretty quick." More like their dog, but she didn't say that. "And, because I realize now I didn't say it earlier, it was so cool to get to see you suited up."

So cool was kind of an understatement, actually. She couldn't put into words just how proud and in love she was.

[feelthelightning]

"No, you weren't snappy." He assured gently and combed his fingers through her hair. He shifted as she settled her legs over him so he'd be a more comfortable lap. "I'm so in love with you, Claire Bennet, it's almost suffocating." He admitted quietly. "I wanna make you happy, and ease all your fears. I wanna chase away all your trauma." He leaned in and kissed her softly.

"I hope so. Otherwise I'll just have to spoil them with treats until they do like me." He joked. Then he looked flustered again. "I can't own any of the style points of the suit. Cisco made it. He's our tech genius. But, uh, I'm glad you finally got to 'meet' The Flash. And it wasn't because of a catastrophe." It was nice to get to show her the suit and his speed without needing to use it to save lives in the moment. And the fact that she thought he was cool? Yeah, that had him riding high.

[infinite1ups]

"I'm just as in love with you, Barry Allen. More than I ever thought possible." Their lives had entwined so fully, they fit together so seamlessly in just about every way. Love - romantic love - had never been so easy for her before. "You do all of that, and more."

If there was anyone who'd understand the mental and emotional wounds healing even slower than the physical, and how that disconnect could become a mess, it'd be Barry. He'd understand that disconnect; the physical damage was gone, but the hurt was still there.

"Okay, Cisco gets design credit. Buuut you get all the points for looking damn good," Claire said, her appreciation obvious. She too was glad he got to see The Flash in action without there being some kind of crisis involved. As worried as she'd been when he'd taken that spill in the Speed Lab, she knew it could have been way worse. "If you were tryin' to show off for me, it worked."

Though there really wasn't any 'if' about it, from what Joe had said.

[feelthelightning]

Don't mind him as he got lost in her eyes when she said that. He leaned in and kissed her on the lips soft and slow. Like she was his lifeline. And in some ways, she was.

"That sounds like a good compromise." He laughed. She'd come to learn that he took spills worse than that fighting bad guys. Most couldn't touch him, but occasionally, there were exceptions. Thawne and Zoom were two huge ones. Even Snart had hurt him pretty decently before their truce. Though, that gun was designed specifically to take down Barry by Cisco, so it made sense that the Cold Gun packed a punch.

"Oh, I was definitely trying to show off for my hot girlfriend. But, like, without destroying your ears. If I broke the sound barrier in that room, the sonic boom would've deafened us, and probably have hit like Hartley's gauntlets for a split second. Not deadly, but concussive. A sonic boom is a hundred and ten decibels, and in this concrete room, it would be contained and reverberate like an echo chamber. So I was keeping my speed under Mach 1." Nerd alert.

[infinite1ups]

Claire returned that kiss tenderly, her hand gentle on his cheek. Barry was just as much of a lifeline for her in a lot of ways. It was almost a little scary how strongly she felt in such a short period of time. There was no going back now, and she sure as hell didn't want to go back. Like she told Harry, she was going to fight for the life she was building for herself now.

"I think I already experienced enough decibels for one day," she joked. "But like, once we get the all clear from the lab... you can totally show off more if you want. Your hot girlfriend will appreciate it." Her head tilted as she looked at him, almost thoughtful, but there was also a hint of playfulness in her smile and a flash of attraction in her soft green eyes. "Yep, still hot when you talk nerdy to me."

Even hotter, actually - don't let her fool you, Barry.

[feelthelightning]

"Hang around the lab more and you can hear me talk nerdy all the time." He teased and bumped his nose into the crook of her neck, smiling against her skin.

"Okay, puppy time!" He pulled up his phone and just typed 'puppy' in google. "Let's get the serotonin going." He was going to hold onto her and this slice of happiness for as long as he could.

[infinite1ups]

"I fully intend to," Claire promised, sighing softly as he leaned in against her neck. More time with Barry and their friends, their family, plus all the nerding out... there wasn't anything she wanted more.

"Gosh, I dunno if my serotonin levels can get higher now." Considering the events of the day, and the heavy subject matter of a lot of the conversations she'd had, she was really riding high now. "The puppies are cute, but you're the cutest."

[feelthelightning]

"I think you're doing puppies a disservice." He teased. But part of him was elated to hear her say it. "I think we're going to die of a sugar coma before we're cured of this poison." Barry tucked her hair behind her ear and went in for another kiss.

[infinite1ups]

She melted at the kiss, hand on his cheek. It had her blushing when she pulled back a few moments later to catch her breath. "You're definitely the cutest." And then, with a thoughtful hum, "I think we're not just immune to this kind of sweetness, we almost thrive on it. It's the kind of medicine that always works."

[feelthelightning]

Barry chuckled. "It must be our hyper metabolism." He joked. "Are you ready to cuddle until we fall asleep? Maybe by tomorrow Jesse and Cait will have enough venom synthesised to whip up the antidote." He pressed a kiss to he blushing cheek.

[infinite1ups]

"Yeah, we could get ready for bed," she agreed. Part of her felt bad to not be helping Caitlin with the antidote, but she was glad Jesse was there in her place. But Claire didn't want to seem too worried because she and Cisco were still keeping Cait's secret.

"I don't think I've gotten this much sleep in years. You're like my teddy bear." She kissed him again, then pulled back with a smile.

[feelthelightning]

"Well, Iris and Joe do call me Bar." He said with amusement in his tone. "Might as well live up to the nickname. Because I'm not the ferocious kind. But I'll gladly be the cuddly kind." He lifted her into his arms bridal style and carried her at super speed, but on the much slower end, to her bedroom and flopped them both onto her bed with a chuckle. He kissed her neck and zipped away just long enough to get dressed down into boxers and a night shirt then was right back into bed with her.

"Your very own teddy bear." He rolled onto his side to let her up so she could get up and ready for bed, throwing an arm over his eyes. He was, after all, a gentleman. They were dating, but he wouldn't rush anything except how much he loved her. That included seeing her in any state of undress she wasn't comfortable with.

[infinite1ups]

Even the slower super speed was a delight, and though she knew they were supposed to take it easy, they would've survived a tumble in her bedroom just fine. She giggled as she suddenly found herself in bed, lingering a moment when Barry joined her again. "And I've been Clairebear since... forever. My dad's always called me that."

As Claire thought about that, she perked up. She gasped, actually. "Oh, my gosh. He calls me that because of me. When Hiro brought me back in time, I saw myself as a baby, and my parents. I told my dad to protect that baby, that she was his Clairebear." She was definitely going to have to ask her dad about that next time they spoke. Somehow it hadn't occurred to her until now.

Claire got up to get changed, giggling as she caught a glimpse of Barry covering his eyes. "I don't mind if the love of my life sees me changing into my pajamas," she assured him. These little domestic moments made her the happiest; it was something she didn't expect to find, and hadn't realized she was missing out on.

Even without super speed, it didn't take her too long to get more comfortable in a tank top and shorts. She crawled back into bed beside him, sighing contentedly. As much as she had loved her life on the road, this was heaven after some of those lonely nights in dingy motel rooms. "I want to end every day like this. You've got Flash Time, and now it's Bear Time."

[feelthelightning]

"That is the most adorable nickname origin story ever. You and me, we're time travel paradox menaces, aren't we?" So many things he'd done in the past he was learning were closed loops and fixed points.

"I didn't want to assume. That makes an ass out of... well, me. At least. Not so much you in this instance." He laughed and rolled back into prime cuddle position when he felt her weight back in the bed. "Flash Time is fun and all, but I'm really loving Bear Time." He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. "I love you, Claire. I want to make every day of your life perfect."

[infinite1ups]

"I only went back the one time!" But it wasn't a real argument, she was laughing. "It was to do with that formula to give people abilities. There was a catalyst, some... essence inside one of us that was needed to complete the process of making the formula. Before Hiro and I went back, the catalyst was in me, but Hiro had it given to him instead."

In truth, she kind of wished the catalyst had been destroyed. But then without it, Peter wouldn't have been able to get his powers back at all. Plus Mohinder and Ando wouldn't have gotten their powers.

Claire snuggled in close as he pulled her into his arms. Her head rested on his shoulder, and it was like all the tension in her melted away immediately. "I love you so much. You really are my everything, Barry. Every day with you is perfect. You got all of me, always."

[feelthelightning]

"Don't tell Wells! He'll get on your case about it. Harry lectures feel like getting caught sneaking out after curfew." Lying in bed with her, laughing about their extended 'family' felt so good. Like he finally had something normal in his life again.

"And you're my everything. You should know by now that I'm all yours. Every last bit." He closed his eyes and just relaxed. Something he'd only been able to truly do since he started sharing a bed with her.

[infinite1ups]

"Don't I know it. I already heard it this morning." All the lectures in the world wouldn't change her mind, though. She'd put herself through anything to protect her new family. Just like her old family.

It had been far too long since Claire had been able to relax like this. Sure, there was plenty to worry about, but for once she could shut it all out and focus on how nice it felt to be wrapped up in Barry's arms. Never mind that these peaceful moments were often when nightmares and bad things started happening for her, as soon as she let her guard down.

"I know. But... I'll never get tired of hearing it. Got the man of my dreams, I'm so dang lucky."

[feelthelightning]

Barry couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm sorry you two got hit this morning and I wasn't there. Cisco said the fight was over so fast, he didn't have time to message me, so he just went in himself." It really was a good thing Jesse was here now, though. She'd be able to stay at the Labs and keep Harry in medical without Cait staying overnight.

"Then I'll never get tired of saying it. I'm all yours. Because I've got the woman of my dreams in my arms right now."

[infinite1ups]

"Yeah, over fast 'cause I got dropped immediately. But he threatened Harry and made me mad, of course I was gonna rush him. Hate it when people call me Blondie." It was fine, she could laugh about it now. "I'm just glad Harry's gonna be okay." They all knew how it would have turned out if that blast had hit him instead.

"We really are kind of perfect for each other, aren't we?" Claire asked softly, a finger drawing circles on Barry's chest.

[feelthelightning]

"Hartley's never been tactful. Incredibly intelligent, but he has the people skills of a wet cactus. He used to be... well, he was a villain of ours. But I altered the timeline by accident and he became an ally when I got back. Still not sure how it happened, because I don't have the memories from it." Harry was only alive because she'd been there. They both may hate that Claire got hurt and gave them a scare, but had Hartley hit Harry with that blast like he'd been intending to, thinking he was Thawne, they would've lost Harry. "You and Wells both got caught up in more of Thawne's mistakes." He pressed a kiss to her temple.

"We are. How on Earth did we find each other? It's like you drew me in the moment you set foot in Central City." Like a lightning rod.

[infinite1ups]

"Thankfully Cisco got there when he did. He saved Harry just as much as I did. And saved me, too. I mean, I would've come around eventually, but I'm glad they kept an eye on me." Nothing like traumatic and stressful events to bond with her new found family. It sort of prickled at her that she couldn't tell Barry everything that happened, but she decided to trust in Cisco's assurance that it would all be okay once Caitlin was ready for the truth came out.

"Nah, you're the one who drew me in. You radiate with everything that's good, and I was a moth to a flame. I didn't realize I was looking at my future that day." She grinned and lifted her head to kiss his cheek. "And, I mean... yeah. Hot damn, you're super cute."

[feelthelightning]

"Cisco has an algorithm that keeps an eye out for unusual spikes in certain things. Sound, electricity, radiation, geological tremors, things relating to Meta powers. Hartley's attack tripped his alarm. He calls it his Meta-human Alert App, but it's not the same as Harry's. Harry's actually detects the unique energy given off by Meta-humans. So it can detect even undisclosed Metas." They all knew the power something like that could have in the wrong hands so it was kept on the down-low on this Earth. General Eiling had already shown interest in catching Metas and doing unspeakable things to create super soldiers.

"So, does that mean you're my lightning rod and I'm your flame?" He asked playfully, trying to hide the flustered reaction to her compliment. "And you're gorgeous."

[infinite1ups]

"Those things also relate to evolved human powers. I know people who have used them. Heck, Peter and Sylar have probably had some combination of those all at once." And that was just scratching the surface of the powers they had.

Try as he might to hide it, she knew what to look for in Barry's body language now. It was half the reason she liked complimenting him, because it was so adorable to get him all flustered. "Yeah, it does. You're also my flame because you're hot." Claire absolutely was trying to make him blush.